“There is no place like home,” and there is nothing like the tradition of going to see the annual musical production at Andover Elementary Middle School. This year everyone has the pleasure of watching The Wizard of Oz.
Adapted from the beloved classic 1939 musical, this presentation of The Wizard of Oz is specifically designed for performance by middle and elementary school students. Dorothy Gale, (played by Violet Kraft-Lund Marley), The Cowardly Lion (Brice Bendixsen), Scarecrow (Oliver Andrews) Tin Man (Arie Perry), and the Wicked Witch of the West (Paige Makechnie), along with the rest of an incredible cast. Katie Dow, Andover’s own incredible director, claims ”The thing that really compelled me to choose the play The Wizard of Oz was because it is the 80th anniversary of the original movie, and because I think that it is a very strong show in which many students would like to participate.”
Music director, Alex Ager, choreographer, Haylea Capone, costume designer, Norah Carleson, student stage manager, and Amanda Lauster, along with the director and all other helpers make being in this production a spectacular experience. Students in grades fifth through eighth grade are extremely excited to present this wonderful musical that they have been working so diligently on for so long.
Dorothy, a girl living in Kansas in 1939, wants nothing more than to find a place, “over the rainbow.” But when a huge cyclone strikes her home, where she lives with her aunt and uncle, she is “magically” transported to the wonderful land of Oz. In Oz, she tries desperately to get back to her small town home. The good witch of the north, Glinda, helps her on the way to the Wizard of Oz who she says can help her.
On the way, Dorothy meets three friends who could also possibly benefit from a visit to see the Wizard. The Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion are all looking for some missing part of themselves but care most about getting Dorothy and her beloved dog, Toto, back to Kansas. Dorothy is continuously followed by the Wicked Witch of the West because of her “need” for the ruby slippers that Dorothy inherited from the Wicked Witch of the East that she killed by dropping a house on her. They make it to the Wizard with lots of obstacles along the way, but the big question is, will the Wizard listen and will she get back home? You’ll have to follow the yellow brick road to the Andover Elementary Middle School’s presentation of The Wizard of Oz on March 26 and 27 to find out.